Yesterday after work I took my bike down to the gas station near my house to pump up my bike tires. I didn't have a guage, so I just pressed my tiny fingers into the rubber to test the give. I had to sit on the bike a couple times to make sure air actually went into the tires because I couldn't press that hard. Darn hands...
The ride back to my house was quick, though I will need to do a lot more biking to not embarrass myself when I ride for real. The slight hill just before my house made me huff and puff a bit, and riding up the sidewalk to my door was laughable. I tried to fling my leg over the back, behind the seat, but I must have caught my foot because the next thing I knew I was slow-falling into the sopping wet grass beside the sidewalk. I laughed out loud as I landed, digging my knee into the muddy grass. Of course, at that exact time a random guy would have to go by and he asked if I was OK, though he didn't really sound like he cared and didn't stop to hear my answer.
Despite my poor showing, the plan was to go for a bike ride last night. Sadly, the only bike riding I did was back from the gas station. The rain kept me from the plan.
When I lived in Japan I would ride my friend's bike from her house to drinking parties with my offices. It was never more than 8 or 9 blocks because she lived right in the middle of the izekaya area of the city and most of the people in my offices lived in the city. Rather than not drink (never an option for the token white girl), I would park my car and stay at my friend's house and take her bike to the parties. I didn't like walking around the city alone at night anyway, so I would ride her bike drunk around the neighbourhood, from the first party to the second party to the third party. Sometimes I would get lost (all the streets looked the same, especially in the dark and while drunk) and would ride around in circles until I found the right street, but I always got there eventually.
This is the sort of thing I wanted to do last night. Another time, another time...
I'm desperate to test out my new helmet. Not by intentionally crashing or anything, but just wearing it while on my bike. (It might be lame to go outside now with my helmet on and just sit on my bike. That's not what I meant.) I also want to ride to and park under cherry blossom trees and have a beer; it's o-hanami (flower viewing) season and I want to represent.
Cherry blossom season always makes me happy because I know that fine weather is on its way, bringing tea parties and skirts with sneakers and dandelion fluff to blow. I love to sit under the trees and look up, the soft pink-white canopy of blossoms obscuring the sky and releasing token petals that flutter down into my hair and onto the tip of my nose. There is nothing like being caught in a shower of blossoms, like a blizzard of fat warm snowflakes. It is one of my most favourite things.
Most of my tripping for the year comes at this time as I walk with my head up, taking in every bit of the colour as I can to store away until the next year.
Don't forget to adjust your clocks tonight, friends that acknowledge DST. Unless you decide to give the "fuck you" to The Man and either only recognise the previous DST schedule or not bother with the change at all. Take back the day/night.
Currently listening :
Yours, Mine & Ours
By The Pernice Brothers
Release date: 20 May, 2003
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